


In the morning after

by Elemental



Category: Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2017-12-18
Packaged: 2019-02-16 12:04:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13053621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elemental/pseuds/Elemental
Summary: The day after rescuing Pascal from the tower, Rapunzel tries to talk to Cassandra about her duties, and Cassandra makes a promise she intends to keep.





	In the morning after

**Author's Note:**

  * For [anilad](https://archiveofourown.org/users/anilad/gifts).



> For anilad, who asked for something exploring Rapunzel's life after the tower. Set after episode 11, Pascal's Story.

> _  
>  Dear Diary:  _
> 
> _ Pascal ran away today, and I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared. When we found each other again it was in the tower. I never thought I'd go back, but for Pascal I would do anything. I know he ran because I was so busy but I promised him: even if I am a princess, I still love him so much and he will always, always be my best friend.  _ _ Now that we’re home in the castle, maybe tomorrow I can talk to Cassandra about making time for Pascal in my schedule too. _

 

Rapunzel’s hands traced the now dried watercolor page of her latest journal entry and she sighed the quietest sigh she knew how, so that she wouldn’t wake Pascal. The poor little guy needed his sleep after last night’s adventure: she was just glad that he could sleep it off. She’d had dreams all night that she couldn’t call nightmares but were… uncomfortable. Going back to the tower had made her remember things she’d rather forget, voices that she'd tried hard to replace.

Shaking the lingering melancholy off,  Rapunzel tucked her journal away just as Cassandra knocked and entered. As always, Cassandra looked perfectly together in her lady in waiting dress, while Rapunzel was still sleepy in her nightgown and with her hair sticking out at odd angles. “Good morning, Raps,” Cassandra greeted, pulling back blinds to let the light in.  “Let’s get you ready for the day?” Cass headed straight for the closet as usual to pull out a new dress for the morning, but Rapunzel thought it was interesting that Cass made it a question, not her usual sort of... well, order. “I hope you got some sleep, canceling yesterday means that we have an even more full day now, and I don’t think we could cancel  _ some _ of these engagements even if the King himself went missing.”

Rapunzel let Cass lead her behind the modesty screen and tried not to sigh again. Last night she’d told Pascal she’d understood why he’d gone back to the tower: life was so much simpler then. She didn’t  _ want _ to go back, of course not - she loved her life and her friends and the family she had now and would never trade it for the world. It was just… sometimes…

With a deep breath, Rapunzel hoped Cassandra would understand.  “Actually, Cass, I was sortof hoping we could talk about my schedule?” Her voice trailed off an she winced - she had to be strong and direct, Cass would say, if she wanted anything done.  “I  _ know _ I have a lot of responsibilities as Princess of Corona, and I _know_ they’re important, but they...” Cassandra was still dressing her, and Rapunzel lifted her hair out of the way as Cass laced her dress closed. “Do I have to have quite so  _ many _ duties? Every day?”

Rapunzel felt more than saw Cassandra’s hands still, and then she was tugged to one of the cushioned chairs nearby (the ones Eugene called papisan and always put his feet up on). Cassandra sat in front of her, so close their knees touched, while she undid the ties that held Rapunzel’s hair together. 

“Raps, I know maybe your schedule has been pretty hectic of late, and it’s a lot more than you’re used to.” Cassandra’s voice was a lot softer than usual, Rapunzel thought. Normally Cass only talked like this when Rapunzel had really messed something up or found out there was something about the world she didn’t understand at all. “And maybe there is some space to give you more breathing room, but I’m not the one who makes these plans for you, Raps. It’s my job to keep you on track and make sure you’re on time and know what happens next, but the meetings and lessons and lunches are decided by the Secretary of the House, Lord Alastair.” 

Cassandra started the process of brushing out Rapunzel’s hair. Usually she liked it when Cassandra brushed her hair, because she was so different from Gothel. Today, seeing it out in front of her reminded Rapunzel of the twisted mess of dead hair all over the floor of the tower. A shiver ran up her spine, but she worry Cassandra if she mentioned it.  Instead she hid the discomfort up by asking “So I could talk to Lord Alastair then? I don't think we've really spoken to each other.”

“You could,” Cassandra didn’t look up at all, dragging the word out in a way that made Rapunzel think Cass didn’t think asking was a good idea at all. “But _he_ gets his instructions from the King.”

“Oh,” Rapunzel realized what that meant with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Talking to her dad about some things was easy, but she could never tell what would upset him, and she _hated_ upsetting him. He wasn’t like her mother, who watched her with warmth and a smile and would sit and explain things in ways Rapunzel always understood. His eyes were... sad. And scared, when he didn’t think Rapunzel was looking. She always wanted to help fix that, not make it worse, and she _always_ made it worse.

Being quiet wasn’t helping either, because while she thought about things Cassandra was looking at her and now she looked worried too. That wasn’t right at all. Rapunzel straightened her back and smiled. “Well!” she declared as cheerfully as she knew how, and Cass smiled right back. “I guess I’ll just have to talk to my dad about it. Good thing we have breakfast this morning, right?” She didn’t feel half so confident as she sounded, but she’d learned a long long time ago how to hide how she felt so that it wouldn’t worry someone. 

“That’s the spirit,” Cassandra tied up (and up and up) Rapunzel’s hair until it was swept off the floor and neatly behind her head in her usual braid. “You might need a bit of that game face you showed me yesterday.”

Rapunzel thought about it and furrowed her brow, frowning and baring her teeth sideways the way she’d seen Hookfoot do. 

Cass didn't look intimidated: instead she looked like she was trying not to laugh. “Maybe wait and see if your gameface comes naturally, how about that?”

“Not game facey enough?” Rapunzel rubbed at her cheeks. “Maybe I should growl?”

“Let it come naturally,” Cassandra reached up to sweep a stray bit of hair away from Rapunzel’s face. “You look like something is bothering you. And we were all so preoccupied with Pascal I don’t think any of us asked you how you felt when we got back. How are you holding up? That tower… was a lot.”

Rapunzel could feel her smile falter, she could picture the tower in her imagine so clearly if she closed her eyes she could probably convince herself she was back there - but she didn’t want to. “Yeah,” she admitted - feeling another chill crawl up her back. “Yeah. It was.”

“You want to talk about it?” Cassandra offered, in her nicest voice, and held Rapunzel’s hand with her own. “I’ve seen you face down thieves and brigands and Eugene’s appetite and horrific morning breath, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you as upset as you were yesterday. Or as scared. I’m sorry we didn’t go in the tower with you.”

“No,” the hand in hers was warm and Rapunzel squeezed it. “No, I had to do it on my own. It - it was  _ good _ that I did it on my own. It was just… it was a lot, going back there. All my hair - my old hair - was just. _There_. On the floor. And there was blood from where Eugene...” She didn't want to say it.

“He might have mentioned that five or six times while we were waiting," Cassandra rolled her eyes, but then she looked at Rapunzel straight on, protective and intent. "I - to be honest Raps? I can’t really even imagine it. I can say I’m glad you’re here, with us, with your family: this is where you belong. _No one_ is going to lock you up in a tower ever again.”

Rapunzel wanted to say  _ thank you _ and wanted to say  _ I know _ and wanted to say  _ I feel better now _ but what came out of her mouth instead was a tiny, small, “Not even my dad?” 

She felt  _ horrible _ the minute she said it and tried to pull back, but Cassandra wouldn’t let go. “I’m sorry, I didn’t really mean-”

“Yes you did,” Cassandra cut her off, fiercely. There was the look in her eyes she got whenever something  _ serious _ was happening: usually she looked like that when talking about the city guard. “Your father is the king, and I think he’s afraid of you getting hurt or losing you again. And you know, I understand that - I don’t know what I’d do if you were gone, and there is a  _ whole world _ out there you sometimes don’t understand at all, Raps. But you know what?”

In her chest, her heart felt like someone was squeezing it. It  _ ached _ , but Rapunzel leaned in, because this was Cassandra and Cassandra  _ never _ said things she didn’t mean. “What?”

“I might be the king’s subject, but I’m  _ your  _ friend. I don’t think he’ll ever try to lock you up - but if he did, I think between me and Eugene, we’d break you out of any tower the King could find.”

The tightness in her chest melted away and suddenly she could _breathe_ again. “Thank you, Cass,” Rapunzel leaned in and hugged her, as tightly as she could. Her words did help. They did make her feel better. She just wished that maybe someone could promise that they’d never  _ need _ to break her out again: that her days of towers were over. That she didn’t need to worry about making copies of all the keys to her room or making sure she had rope and lockpicks and a dozen ways to climb down her own balcony, just in case. That one day the castle would feel like home without feeling like the tower.

That would have to be one day, though. For now: she didn’t need to worry Cassandra. She didn’t need to worry anyone. It was better if she didn’t make anyone worried, anyone upset. 

“There,” Cassandra said while pulling back, patting her shoulder. “There’s the smile that looks like it will break your face in half I’m used to.”  She tugged her up out of the chair and towards the door. “Let’s go to breakfast before you’re late and the King thinks I can’t keep track of his only daughter, ok?”

Rapunzel made herself laugh. “I’ll race you,” she prodded Cassandra’s waist. “You said you need more practice running in your dress.”

“Not on the way to -”

Rapunzel didn’t hear the rest of Cassandra’s protest: she was off and down the hall as fast as her feet could carry her. One thing about the castle - there was space to _ run _ . Space to stretch her legs and go so fast that - if only for a little while - nothing could catch her at all.

 


End file.
